The procedure of female sterilization by laparoscopic tubular cauterization has provided the most efficient and least painful method of sterilization of women. Under this procedure, the fallopian tubes are cauterized with an electrical current from an electrical power source. Both monopolar and bipolar treatment have been used in the cauterization of fallopian tubes.
In the monopolar cauterization, the patient is physically placed upon a metallic base plate connected to one side of the electrical power source. An electrode which is connected to the other side of the power source is inserted into the abdomen of the patient through the use of a trocar or the like. Accordingly, the electric current passes between the inserted electrode and the metallic base plate through the living tissue. The monopolar device had the distinct disadvantage of controlling the flow of current between the inserted electrode and the base plate. In addition, the surgeon is required to take great care to insure that the device is not activated prior to proper positioning within the abdomen of the patient. Otherwise, the electrical current from the device will flow in an undesirable direction thereby damaging adjacent tissue.
This disadvantage of the monopolar device was overcome with the introduction of a bipolar device comprising a first and a second electrode insertable into the abdomen of the patient. In the bipolar device, the living tissue is grasped between the first and second electrode thereby controlling the electrical current through the living tissue between the first and second electrodes. Unfortunately, the design of the bipolar devices has not met the needs of the art. Primarily, the prior art devices are difficult to control by the surgeon and required the surgeon to physically grasp the living tissue by the use of a trigger, lever or the like against the urging of a spring. Simultaneously therewith, a switch had to be depressed to pass electrical current between the first and second electrodes. These two movements make the prior art devices awkward to use by a surgeon.
The prior art bipolar devices do not provide for a safety interlock to prevent the accidental activation of the device prior to proper positioning within the abdomen of the patient. Still a further disadvantage of the prior art devices was the inability of the bipolar units to cut the living tissue. In general, the cutting of living tissue requires a small area electrode adjacent a large area electrode thereby intensifying the electric field to provide sufficient current to cut the living tissue upon an increased current flow thereto. In the prior art bipolar devices, the first and second electrodes are substantially identical and do not permit the cutting of tissue. Many surgeons prefer to cut the fallopian tubes after cauterization rather than to merely rely on the blockage caused by the cauterization. In such instances, one device is needed for cauterizing and one device is needed to sever the fallopian tubes.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the sterilization art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for treating living tissue with an electrical current from an electrical power source wherein the device may be used either as a bipolar or a monopolar device and capable of either cauterizing or severing living tissue.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for treating living tissue with an electrical current from an electrical power source comprising a piston slidably mounted in a body with urging means urging the piston to a first position with a first and a second electrode disposed to grasp the living tissue when the piston is urged to the first position. The urging means of the device will continually grasp the living tissue disposed between the first and the second electrode elements.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for treating living tissue with an electrical current from an electrical power source comprising circuit breaker means for terminating continuity to the electrodes when the piston is in the second position thereby making the device incapable of operation until the electrodes are grasping the tissue.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for treating living tissue with an electrical current from an electrical power source including a switch for activating electrical power to the electrodes with means for disabling the switch when the piston is in the second position.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for treating living tissue with an electrical current from an electrical power source wherein the device may be easily manufactured as a disposable single use item.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment, in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.